The Cuban contingent that competed in last week's Pan American Judo Championships left Miami for Havana on Monday afternoon without gold-medal-winning judoka Yurisel Laborde, who left the group Sunday afternoon.
''No, she never showed up last night,'' USA judo president Jose Rodriguez said.
A source Monday morning said Laborde, who was considered a gold-medal favorite for the Beijing Olympics this summer, will be seeking political asylum.
Cuban judo president Gustavo Diez would not comment on the possible defection but called his team's visit to Miami a ''success.'' Diez added that the ''situation'' should not take away from what the other members of the team accomplished.
Cuba earned 15 medals during the competition.
The departure of the athlete caused a swirl of speculation about her intentions, especially after the visiting Cuban team had performed so well during the competition.
One judo official said Laborde, 28, packed her bags and left a note for her teammates explaining her actions. The source would not say what her intentions were.
Laborde was one of four women who won gold medals for Cuba during the week. The others were Driulis González, Idalis Ortíz and Yanet Bermoy. Ortíz competed in Sunday's activities and Bermoy was seen at the James L. Knight Center on Sunday afternoon, taking in the action but not competing. Laborde and González were not seen Sunday at the tournament.
''We have a specific protocol for who we contact and how we go about it in these situations,'' said Rodriguez, flanked by a member of USA Judo's security team. USA Judo organized the tournament and was responsible for security.
Rodriguez added that he had contacted a government agency but declined to say which one.
Reached at home Sunday night, Zachary Mann, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said he was not aware of the situation.
``Until someone comes forward, we can't do anything,''Mann said. ``There's no set precedent for when someone defects. They may come forward right away, they may have family or friends.''
Several calls and a visit to area Catholic churches, a traditional first-stop for Cuban defectors, yielded no results.
It has been more than 40 years since Cuba sent an Olympic team of any sort to Miami. The week was largely uneventful, with only a small protest last week.
On March 14, seven members of the Cuban national soccer team defected following a match in Tampa.
Interview | USA Judo President Jose Rodriguez on a team member's disappearance